Bleach: Red Vengeance
by CoGDork
Summary: AU. Many years have passed since the day the Rukongai burned during the Quincy war. Now, a mysterious group has sworn vengeance against Kurotsuchi...
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This is my first fanfic. I always wondered how Kurotsuchi, despite being a complete unrepentant monster, never seems to get any comeuppance for his actions. Indeed, I have yet to find a fic that gives him what he clearly deserves. Even worse, there are slash/romance fics involving him! I thought it was time someone wrote a fic that would give him the punishment that the manga and anime never gave him.

This is in all likelihood AU; I haven't read the latest volumes of the manga, so I don't know all the details of Kurotsuchi's purge of the Rukongai. The reason I'm setting this fic afterward is because it was one of the worst things he ever did, even if it was necessary to preserve the balance of souls. So if I get things wrong, it's because I'm assuming that the purge was done by Squad 12 soldiers, and that it was done through the old-fashioned method of killing by pillaging, burning and various stabbity means. Feel free to comment/critique/make suggestions of how to better write, and don't hold back out of politeness. Now for the standard "Don't sue me" boilerplate:

**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. Save for a few original characters, everything is owned by Viz manga/anime and Tite Kubo.**

* * *

Seven years had passed since the deadly attack on the Soul Society by Yhwach. Most of the Seireitei had been rebuilt, its stone walls repaired to perfection. The Rukongai, however, was a different story; the ruins of entire neighborhoods remained, and what few survivors there were lived in makeshift tents, in the remains of their former homes, or simply on the streets. It was in this setting, in the dead of night, that four shadowy figures congregated.

"This place... I can still feel the heat of those fires."

"We all do. That night affected all of us."

"And yet he remains a Captain! After what he did?"

"It's not just him. The Soul Society itself allowed it, and sanctioned it. They always let this kind of thing happen. Which is why we're here; these preparations are vital to the success of our plan."

"So it's time?"

"Yes. The first stage has already been set in motion. Soon, very soon, Kurotsuchi will taste justice."

* * *

Yamada Hanatarō sat in his bunk in the Squad 4 barracks. New recruits had been received from the academy, and he learned that one of them would be sharing his room. To that effect, he decided to clean his room meticulously. It was always clean, sparkling even, but as a new roommate would be arriving soon, and he had as few friends as it was, he decided to make a good first impression.

After a full hour of dusting and scrubbing, the door slid open. A smallish, slightly built teen with dark brown hair stepped in. His eyes were a very subtle hazel, and he carried himself in an unsteady manner, as if the nervousness written on his face were weighing him down physically. _Wow, I know what that feels like_ thought Hanatarō as he looked over the new arrival.

"H-hi. Uh... is this the room I'm looking for...?"

The teen's voice was quiet, and filled with anxiety-another trait shared with Hanatarō. "What room are you looking for?"

"OH! Sorry, um, I should have phrased that better. I'm Kōryō Akamori. Are... are you Yamada Hanatarō?"

"That's me. You must be my new roommate then."

"Yeah-I mean, yes, that's the name on my assignment." Hanatarō was worried that the back of Akamori's head would get friction burns from how much he was rubbing it out of awkward politeness. That's when Kōryō looked around the small room. "Wow, this room..."

_ Oh no. I didn't finish!_ Hanatarō went into a minor panic. As a result, his words came out with such rapidity that they blurred together. "I'msosorryIknowit'sdirtybutItriedtocleanitPLEASE DON'T HATE ME!"

"...It's really clean." Fortunately for Hanatarō, Kōryō didn't notice his hasty apology. "Uh, thank you. I worked hard on it." Though somewhat embarrassed, Hanatarō breathed a sigh of relief. _Well, this isn't too bad of a start..._

* * *

Head Captain Shunsui Kyōraku was on one of his "social calls" (or, as Nanao put it, "excuses to stop working and start drinking") to the Squad 13 barracks. Despite his rank, he saw nothing wrong about a visit to his good friend Jūshirō Ukitake. And if there was sake involved, all the better.

"Oh, by the way, Jūshirō... have you met the new captain of Squad 8?"

"Hm? Can't say that I have. Central 46 just made it official recently, and I've been bedridden on and off the whole month."

"Well, as Head Captain I witnessed his swearing-in. Old guy, burn on the left side of his face, and a squeaky-clean record."

Jūshirō looked up at that last part of the description. Squeaky-clean rarely existed, in his experience. "Suspicious, eh?"

"Nah, I'm wondering about his Lieutenant. Delicate little flower, that one. She's pretty, too, but clearly has eyes for him."

"Ah, your other weakness."

Shunsui feigned injury at the remark. "Weakness? I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would such a pretty thing go for an ugly guy like that and not this handsome mug?"

"Perhaps she's looking for something other than a relationship based on habitual drunkenness."

"So feisty today, Jūshirō! You must be feeling better."

"Oh, I'm sure something will come up. Fate always seems to enjoy sending trouble our way, after all."

"Why do I get the feeling you just jinxed everything?"

Little did either of them know, that before the conversation was done, twelve unseated shinigami would be dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thanks to a friend of mine who pointed it out, I noticed that the first paragraph of the previous chapter was unnecessary and cliché. I'd go back and edit it, but the truth is I've gone back and edited that chapter so many times I'm worried if I spend too much time on trying to fix it, I'll never get the story done. I suppose I could come back to it after the whole thing is finished. I've tried to make it longer; the shortness of the chapter irritates me, but everything I've tried to do to expand it has just seemed like padding for the sake of length. So yeah, moving on, I'll try to do better. Keep the reviews/critiques coming!

P.S. I'll also be damned if I have to keep using the foreign language character map every time I type a name, so I'll use the "uu" and "ou" style of Romanization of Japanese names.

**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. Save for a few original characters everything is owned by Viz manga/anime and Tite Kubo.**

* * *

The morning sun cast a brilliant light over the white stone buildings. There was not a cloud in sight, save for a thin mist that glimmered in the sun's rays. It was a truly beautiful morning... save for the twelve bloody corpses that littered the small courtyard.

"Captain Kotetsu! We've identified the last body."

The woman in question looked up at her subordinate with a deceptively calm expression on her face. "I assume this one is also from Squad Twelve?"

"Yes, Captain. Kazuo Aibara, unseated like all the others."

Kotetsu closed her eyes and began to rub the bridge of her nose. "Twelve victims... all from Squad Twelve... all unseated. This was not a random killing."

The words were addressed to Juushiro Ukitake, who had just arrived behind her. "If this were any squad other than Twelve I'd expect their captain to be here," he said, his voice a mixture of concern and disgust. "Does he know?"

"Yes, he was alerted the moment we identified the first three bodies as belonging to his men. He has yet to respond, though, so I assume he's either busy with an experiment or trying to investigate on his own."

Juushiro turned his attention to the last of the bodies being loaded onto a stretcher. "It seems your new recruits will gain first-hand experience with corpses earlier than you expected."

* * *

The sight of Mayuri Kurotsuchi yelling at his subordinates was nothing new, though most shinigami learned to keep a safe distance when it happened. The current tantrum was loud enough that it sent nearly everyone in the Squad 12 surveillance office running for cover, save the unfortunate woman seated at one of the computers. "What do you mean, 'you couldn't see anything'?! Those cameras are there for a reason!"

"I'm sorry sir, but it's not my fault! The image blacks out for a full five minutes, and only comes back after they're dead!"

"So you're not only incompetent, but negligent? I designed the system myself! It does not short out!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, sir. Someone interrupted the signal between the camera and our end long enough to carry out the murders. I tried to trace it, but whatever caused the interruption is gone!"

An eerie calm settled over Kurotsuchi as he narrowed his eyes at the surveillance officer. "Then look for another way. Don't you dare stop until you find out who disrupted my security system, or you will find yourself on my laboratory table!" With that, he stormed out, the woman returning to her station in a panic.

* * *

Hanatarou and Akamori watched with pale faces at the bodies being carried into the Squad 4 barracks. As a member of that squad, Hanatarou had seen many corpses, but he had never quite gotten used to it. Akamori, the new recruit, looked about to faint at the sight. "Are... are we going to have to examine those?"

"I hope not. I still get shivers from looking at dead bodies..."

Akamori looked towards his roommate at the comment. "D-does it get easier?"

Hanatarou didn't answer verbally. His face, however, told Akamori all he needed.


End file.
